Hope's Illusion
by Banana-split 77
Summary: Nothing really happened for The Fullmetal Alchemist from when he was 12 until he was 15 right? Wrong. Ed gets mixed up with the wrong people, at the wrong place, at the wrong time. And in the end, the young alchemist is dead. Or his he really?
1. Dead

**Hope's Illusion**

**~Chapter 1~ How they found out**

They handed her his silver pocket watch with the Amestris military crest. She stared at it and looked up at the military officer standing on her porch. He shifted uncomfortably under her unwavering gaze.

"Ummm… I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but why are you giving this to me?" Winry asked the man.

He moved his gaze around, looking anywhere but at the teenage girl. "You are requested at Central headquarters miss Rockbell. You and Mrs. Rockbell."

"Why?"

"Well, I'm not really at liberty to say. I was just sent here to get you and your grandmother to bring you to Central. I wasn't given specific detail as to why, but as I understand it, it is something very important. About the Fullmetal Alchemist."

That was all Winry needed to hear. She was up the stairs and in Pinako's room in a matter of seconds. She didn't even remember to invite the soldier into the house until she ran back downstairs to gather her tools and automail parts for Ed. She quickly led the soldier to the living room where she asked him to please wait patiently while she packed some of her and Pinako's things into a suitcase. By four, they had departed on the train, headed for Central.

It was around two in the morning when the train pulled into Central. Pinako, Winry, and the soldier who came to get them yesterday walked out onto the platform, not really surprised that there were only a few people there. One of the people though, they all recognized. Alphonse was waiting for them on a bench near the exit of the platform. Even though he couldn't show facial expression, the two Rockbells could tell something had Al worrying. When the approached him, Al didn't even look up, instead he sat there with his face in his hands. Winry was about to say something, when he spoke.

"I know It's kinda late….but, I think you two should go to headquarters." His voice was quiet, and came out weak and wavering.

"Alright Al, are you gonna come with us?" Pinako asked.

He stood up and gave a small nod. They walked to a waiting car, where Jean Havoc sat in the driver seat. He gave a small smile when he saw them, although it looked closer to a grimace than anything. The drive to headquarters was a silent one.

When they got into the building, Winry couldn't help but notice the sullen mood of the place. They walked down the dark halls of the east wing and received more than few sympathetic looks.

'_What the hell happened to Ed?' _Winry thought.

Al opened the door to General Hakuro's office, followed by Havoc, Pinako, and then Winry. Inside they found Colonel Roy Mustang, Hawkeye, Breda, Furey, and General Hakuro. They all looked up at the new comers. General Hakuro and Colonel Mustang stood up.

"Please sit down, Miss and Mrs. Rockbell." 

The two Rockbell women sat down on the plush royal blue couch, directly across from where Mustang and Hakuro sat. It wasn't long before General Hakuro stood up and left the room without saying anything. Roy sighed heavily, not really wanting to tell the little family what happened to his youngest subordinate. Really, Kain, Jean, and Breda had just finished crying and he really didn't want them to start again. To be honest with himself, he didn't even know what had happed to Ed either. He hated this part, he was always the one who had to tell the families about their lost ones. But, this time, it was like a family member of his own had died, and he was breaking the news to some cousins or something. And to top it all off, he didn't even know what the hell happened to his subordinate. He was sad, depressed even. He never wanted this to happen, he had wanted to keep all of his men _alive._ Ed was only a child, he already lost so much, he didn't deserve to end it this way. He figured in the short year he had known the kid, he grew to like him and even respect him a little. But only a little. He dared to admit to himself, that when this was all over, he would walk home, crack open a bottle of scotch, and drink and cry to his heart's content.

Roy cleared his throat and began. "As you may or may not know, your friend, Edward Elric was recently commissioned to stay down at a small Ishvalan refugee camp in between Rush Valley and Dublith." Roy looked to see if the two women were following, and seeing no confused looks, he continued. "He was called there to help with something that I am not allowed to mention, it was only going to last a few days at most. It was a military thing, so Alphonse stayed here, in Central. An ishvalan mistook Edward talking to a child, for him harassing it, and started a fight. The fight soon escalated and other officers got involved. Some of the Ishvalans took their actions as a declaration of another war." Roy took a deep breath to calm himself and force down his emotions. "Edward Elric is dead."

The room was silent. Everybody was still.

"What?" Everybody turned to Winry. She sat on the couch, her hand frozen half way to her mouth. Her voice was so quiet it was hard to hear. And yet, to Roy, it was as loud as a gunshot. It was the first sound and unbelieving look from a family member after he dropped the bomb on them. He waited for the young girl to explode. He looked at her, but she was staring out the window. He turned to look at the grandmother, she was sitting still, but he could see the tears sliding down her cheeks in the moonlight.

Winry chuckled. "You're lying." She stated simply.

It was now Roy's turn to be confused. "What?"

She shook her head. "You're all lying. This is just a bad dream right? Or maybe some stupid prank? I don't know, but I don't find it funny." Her voice was strong, but Winry's eyes were now leaking tears. "Ed isn't dead. He's hiding…or-or he's j-j-just sleeping s-somewhere. B-b-but he's no-ot d-d-e…" Winty didn't even finish her sentence. She broke down crying into her hands. Pinako gave the young girl a small hug and pulled her to her feet.

"Ed!' Winry started screaming. "Edward Elric, if you don't show yourself this instant, I swear to God I will hunt you down and kill you myself!" Her screams were only met with silence. This only caused the girl to cry even more. Al gently picked up the hysteric girl. Winry kicked and screamed even more and tried to fight Al, but him being in a giant suite of armor was working in his favor because soon enough, her strength gave out and Winry fell asleep in Al's arms.


	2. The aftermath

Chapter 2~ The Aftermath

**So here's another chapter…..it's the aftermath of everyone findin' out about Ed's death. Right now I'm trying to type with my left hand while I eat Nachos with my right hand so this chapter took me a LONG time to type. And my dominate hand is my right soooo….. I didn't really think this through. I'm already getting a cramp!**

Winry sat up in the soft hotel bed. She vaguely wandered why she could hardly see out of her eyes. She stood up and walked over to the mirror hanging from the wall. What she saw slightly scared her. Her eyes where blood-shot, almost swelled closed and were red and puffy. Her hair was sticking out at odd ends and angles, and where her pony tail used to be, a giant mass of blond now took its place. Her skirt was all crumpled and looked like it hadn't been washed for a month, at least. Her shirt was in a similar state, but instead of being crumpled, it was creased and stained with tears, sweat, and a few drops of blood. She remembered now, she tried biting her lips to quiet her screams last night but she guessed she bit a little too hard. Winry looked like absolute hell, and after a few seconds of debate, she realized, she just didn't give a damn.

She walked like a zombie to her bathroom in the hotel room. Her grandmother was in the room next door, she wandered how she was handling the news. Winry thought about going to see her, but decided not to. She didn't want to talk right now. Or ever. She was going to stay mute the rest of her life. What did she have now that Ed was gone? He was her best friend, he was her favorite patient, he gave her hope and encouraged her. Who was going to do that now? Who was going to call her gear head? Who was she going to throw wrenches at from now on? As much as Winry hated to admit it, Edward Elric was one of the most important things in her life. Edward Elric was her light in a dark and dreary past, her light for a pleasant warm future. Was her light, she should say. That light wasn't shining any more, he was dead. Some asshole put it out and it will never, ever, shine again.

Roy Mustang cracked one eye open and let out a loud groan. He gently eased himself off of the hard wood floor of the bar. He looked at his pocket watch and waited for his vision to clear.

8:52

_Oh._

_Shit._

He had to be at work twenty two minutes ago. He tried to stand up, but found it extremely difficult. Instead of being able to stand up like he normally would, he got half way before his vision fuzzed, the world started spinning and he fell back to the ground. Roy rolled around on the floor for a little bit nursing his increasing headache. By 8:58 he was up and out of the little bar, and out on the street, walking home. He didn't remember how he had managed to spend the night at the bar, but without really thinking about it he guessed it had something to do with his youngest subordinate. Roy sighed and kept staggering down the busy Central Street.

When he opened his front door, the smell of alcohol and smoke hit him like a punch to the gut. Making his guilt so much more worse.

_This is all my fault_

He had sent Edward out to the refugee camp. The orders were not from him, no, but he could have done something! For crying out loud, the kid was hardly two years old when the Ishvalan War of Extermination happened! Edward Elric did **NOT**, in any way deserved to die because of a decade old grudge against the military!

_He could hardly walk at the time. He wasn't even part of that war! If anyone deserved to die, it was someone who actually killed during that massacre. Someone like me._

Roy threw his coat on the ground and slid down next to it. He grabbed a half drunken bottle of Scotch from the floor where he left it last night. He had gotten drunk before he left for the bar. He closed his eyes and tipped back his head and let the vile drink slide down his dry throat.

_I don't deserve to live._

He could already hear Ed's voice accusing him. 'Ya see you bastard! I always knew you were weak. Look at you, you look even uglier than before. You're taking the easy way out, trying to drink away my memory so you don't have to face your guilt like a real man should! You killed me and you know it.'

Al sat staring down at the bustling city of Central. He found a secluded spot at the edge of Central where a thick forest grew and he hid there. He wanted to cry, so, so badly. But he couldn't because he was stuck in this god damned suit of armor. Ed promised him that he would be out of this armor. But he had to do something rash and go and kill himself. Even Al knew that was a lie. He had heard the full story of how his brother died. He couldn't be more proud and pissed off at the same time. What Colonel Mustang told Winry and Granny, was, to simply put it, bull shit. Yes it was true that Brother was sent to an Ishvalan refugee camp, but it wasn't to help. His mission was to wipe out the camp. Al guessed Colonel Mustang just told the two women it was to help because he didn't want them to know he had sent the kid to murder innocent people.

Ed had realized why he was sent to the camp, when he was still halfway from getting there.

***Flashback* Ed POV**

_Those Bastards! I knew exactly why I was sent here now. I'm going to wipe the camp off the map, murder innocent human beings. With alchemical power that Ishvalans hate. What a horrible way to die, that's why I'm not going to let it end this way._

_I walked off the train and into the blazing sun of the desert. I have to do something, and fast. The captain started speaking, and I quietly slipped away from the group. I searched for the leader of the camp. I found the building with several Ishvalans standing outside of it. I approached them with my hands where they could see them and walked slowly, as not to startle them. The building-no shack- they were standing outside of was a small crummy thing made out of whatever spare materials they could find. Like cement blocks or wood._

"_Who goes there?" One of them yelled._

"_I need to tell you guys something important. You could all be in danger. So I suggest you listen to me." I replied without saying my name. They might recognize me if I did. A couple gave me a skeptical look but made no hostile move towards me. I took this as a good sign and continued forward. When I got within ten feet of the shack, the leader I guessed stepped out from a cloth acting as a makeshift door._

"_Why do you come here Amestrian child?" He asked me._

"_You need to leave. The military is going to open fire here soon. So get out of here before you all die."_

_He laughed at me. Shocked I looked at him. He couldn't really be serious, right? I just told him that he would die if he didn't leave now and he laughs at me! The fucking idiot!_

"_Kid I don't think you should be here, it could be very dangerous. Your warning means nothing to us. If the military was really here, my scouts would have informed me already. So please leave, one of your soldiers started the war by shooting a child, we wouldn't want to start another war by returning the favor."_

_I couldn't believe the dumb-fuck! He seriously thinks I'm nothing but an annoying kid! I'll show that bastard! I. Am. Not. A-_

"_TINY MICROSCROPIC MIDGET THAT YOU CANT SEE OVER A GRAIN OF SAND BECAUSE IM TO SMALL!"_

_Before the men could he register what I blurted out, ammunition rained down on us from where the military was camped. All the men's eyes widened when they realized I had been right.; They stood there standing motionless. I growled. Where they all really idiots?_

_I roughly shoved a handful of them inside the small structure of them and shouted over my shoulder, "Move your asses!"_

_That seemed to do the trick, because the rest all ran inside. I looked around the building, it was about ten foot by twelve foot. There were eleven men including me. The leader walked up to me with a grim expression._

"_I guess I should have listened to you-"  
_

"_Hell yeah!" I interrupted._

"_-But why did you save us? I understand you were too young to even know about the Ishvalan War of Extermination, but we are mortal enemies of your country. So tell me, why did you try and warn us and then save us?"_

"_No matter what happened between our countries, No one else needs to die. I wasn't going to sit by and watch as innocent people are murder." I answered him simply._

_He accepted the answer and thanked me. He moved around a table and lifted up a thickly woven rug from the ground. Underneath there was a hatch that lead down to escape tunnels no doubt. One by one the entered the hatch._

"_Are you coming?" The leader asked once he had dropped the eight or so feet down underground._

_I looked over my shoulder. The forces where probably storming the houses by now. I nodded, I might as well get out of here too. "Yeah I-" I never got to finish my sentence as a bomb was thrown into the building and my world went black._


	3. In His Shoes

**Sorry to anybody who's out there! I've had a pretty busy week at school. Yeah, but don't we all? So anyways I'll just give you chapter 3 instead of annoying you with my rants. This chapter is about Edward, and if he's really dead or not.**

**Chapter 3~ In His Shoes**

White. That's all he saw. Everything was white, nothing else, only this whiteness which relieved and scared him. If he tried to stare at it, it got so blinding his eyes would water and no matter how hard he closed his eyes, it still shined and burned him. It was so beautiful, yet so empty and sad. There was not a single thing that he could make out. Was this heaven? Or maybe hell? He didn't know. Was he even dead, or was alive somewhere, paralyzed and staring at the sun. So many questions that had no answers.

He hated not having answers to things. He already had enough of mysteries to last him a life time, and he didn't need another one. Wherever he was, he needed to get out, and fast. Slowly, and somewhat uncertainly, the young alchemist stood up. He turned in a full circle, but all he could see was white. After three times around, he gave up. But only then, did he notice another presence near him. Why was this so familiar to him? It was like he has been here before, but he can't remember when or how.

"How are you, young alchemist?" An eerie voice interrupted his thoughts.

He remembered that voice, but from where was the question. He spun around and sitting about ten feet in front of him was a white being.

Wait. He had seen this before!

"The Truth." Edward whispered.

The eyeless being grinned at his realization. "Yes, how nice of you to remember me!"

"B-but how?" Ed stuttered. "I didn't transmute anybody!"

This only caused the Truth to smile bigger. "Yes I know, young alchemist. You have not transmutated anybody, you came here unwillingly."

This irked his curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"Edward Elric, you are dead."

Alphonse still sat at the edge of Central, just passed the thick foliage of the forest. The dense trees, shaded most of the sunlight, but let spots here and there stream through. If anybody looked at Al, all they would see is a pile of metal. Alphonse sat there unmoving. What reason did he have now that Ed was gone? He might as well just sit there for the rest of his life, because that's all he could do. Never again would he be human. There was no one left who would treat him like a human. Ed was the only one who ever did, and now that he was gone, Alphonse was just a suit of armor. Everyone would try and act like he was a human, and he appreciated it, but it wasn't the same.

And now the funeral was going to take place next week on Sunday. Today was a Saturday, so he had eight days to get everything planned, Pinako said she would help. Al hadn't heard from Winry yet, apparently she hadn't come out of her hotel room yet. He didn't blame her. She had loved him, and she was suffering a loss too. Alphonse couldn't imagine Winry with anybody else. He guessed his mind just sorta put the two together; they were such a cute couple. Many people thought they were already together.

"What?" Edward asked for maybe the sixth time. He just couldn't except that he was dea-No! He wouldn't even think of that word. He made a promise to Al, so he wasn't about to leave him there all alone. He still had to get Al's body back! There was nothing that could stop him from getting back to his little brother.

"You're dead. You can't go back, there's no way. Don't you remember, young alchemist? There's no way for someone to come back from the dead, you learned that."

"Shut up! I'm not dead you stupid bastard! Just watch, I'm gonna get out of here and then I'll be laughing 'cause there's nothing you could have done about it!"

The Truth smiled. "But you were hit with one of the explosives from your own military."

He did know. He remembered, he was trying to save those Ishvalans from being murdered and he was about to go with them when a bomb was thrown into the building. "Yeah, so? That doesn't mean anything! I could just be asleep or something and I'm just dreaming about you."

"Even you don't believe that, young alchemist. You're forcing yourself to believe it so you don't have to face the reality that you let your little brother down. You're trying to run away."

"Listen up you bastard! I didn't let Al down because I'm not dead. So your argument falls flat, because as I said, I. Am. Not. Dead."

Even the Truth was having a hard time with Edward Elric. He refused to accept his fate and it was infuriating! It made it that much harder to get him to listen. "Enough. It is time for you to go."

"Go where?" Edward questioned.

"To the other side of the gate. You can only linger here for so long, alchemist."

"Winry, dear. You need to come out of your room." Pinako spoke softly through the door to her granddaughter. The poor girl, she had been crying in her room for almost two days.

_That damn shrimp! Making my granddaughter cry over him so much. She hasn't eaten in days and she won't come out of her room. She's a wreck, I hope you know that Edward! As soon as I see you again, I'm going to imbed my wrench into your head so hard it's gonna stay there for the rest of your scrawny little life._

But Pinako wouldn't be able to do that, because Edward was dead. She sighed when she didn't get an answer and headed back to her room. She hated Ed right now, couldn't he just tell that Winry loved him? Everyone could practically smell it on her. Everyone, except for Ed that is.

They were going to be in Central until Sunday. She had talked it over with Alphonse. They would have a funeral here in Central for the military and their friends. Then they would board a train for Resembool, where they would have another funeral for him and then bury him next to Trisha. He would like that. Now all that was left to do was wait, and wallow in sorrow.

"No way in hell am I going in there.' Edward growled, pointing to the gateway behind the Truth.

"You do not have a choice." To prove Truth's point, the gateway opened and the tiny black arms reached out for Ed.

They wrapped around Ed's body and covered his mouth, muffling his screams of protest. He fought with all of his might. It was pointless, he Was losing, and he knew it. He ran, but he wasn't going anywhere. It was like he was immobile, he ran with all his strength, but the Truth and the white room kept getting smaller and dimmer. It was like a bad dream that wouldn't release its grip on him. It was suffocating him, he glared out of the small crack left, the gateway was closing. He mustered up his most menacing glare, and glared at the frowning face of the Truth.

_Wait. Why was he frowning?_

Ed's glare fell, and it was replaced with confusion. Why would he be frowning, Ed was pretty sure the last time he opened up the gate, the Truth had been grinning at him. So why would he frown at him. It just didn't make any sense to him. It was such an odd time to show an emotion like that, and it puzzled Edward. The thought stuck with him, along with the image of the being frowning burned into his head, the door closed, and for the second time in his life, Edward Elric's world went black.

**That's it for this chapter! Now if you know what's good for you, you'll review! Seriously review cuz I have no idea if this story is actually good or not.**

** Review!**


	4. She loved him

**Ok, so obviously I'm not goiung to be updating every night. But I will try to every Saturday or Sunday. Mainly cuz thats the only days I have free. You can blame school for that, and if you really like this story, you can burn down my school. I wont mind.**

**Chapter 4~ She loved him**

Nobody in the room moved. Nobody felt like it. Once or twice one of the adults would try to make small talk with someone, but that quickly died away as soon as it started. Everyone knew that planning a funeral would be hard, but nobody realized that it would be down right awkward. Awkward and morbid. That's what it felt like in the small hotel room. Meas, Gracia, Roy, Riza, Pinako, Winry, and Alphonse sat there just waiting for someone to officially start the funeral plans for Edward.

Every single person in the room had an invisible force weighing down everything they did. Losing a beloved one is never fun. It can take years to get over it, but the worst part is actually preparing to bury them and say goodbye forever. They weren't ready to say goodbye. He was so young, he had so much fire in him, that it felt impossible he could have died.

"Well, I guess we should get started. What Alphonse and I were planning on doing, was that we would have a funeral here in Central for all of you guys and such. Then we would take a train back to Resembool, where we would have another funeral and bury him there." Pinako spoke out to the small group nof people.

Meas nodded his head in agreement. "Yes, that sounds good. It's only fair that he would be buried in his hometown, with his family."

Pinako gave a ghost of a smile in thanks and proceeded to talk about the funeral.

0000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000

_Why couldn't you do it?_

Edward groaned and turned over.

_You can't die here. And yet you gave up so willingly without a fight._

He let out an annoyed breath and closed his eyes tighter. Someone was trying to wake him, and he really didn't appreciate that.

_Can you honestly let your little brother down like that, little alchemist?_

Edward's eyes flew open. It was one thing to call him litt- not of average size, but it was a completely different thing to question his ability to provide for Al. No one did that.

_You cannot die here, alchemist._

Where was that voice coming from? He tried to open his eyes wider to get a better look at his surroundings. His eyes wouldn't open though. Why wouldn't they? Panicing slightly, Edward went to rub his eye, only to flinch back and let out a string of curses as he blinked a few times. Ok, so his eyes were defiantly open. Why was he still seeing black though? Was he blind? Then he realized something, everything was pitch black, and he just couldn't see. Feeling relieved a little, Ed sat up.

_Get up and find a way out of there._

"Huh? Who are you?" Edward asked the invisible voice.

_Get out. Now. Before your stuck here and then transported to the other side._

"Tell me who you are!" Ed screamed into the black oblivion. "What do you mean I have to get out before I'm transported to the other side? The other side of what?"He didn't like not being able to see. The person could be twenty feet away, or even right next to him. The person could be waiting to attack him, and he would be deffenseless.

Ed tried to make out something, but the darkness seemed to stretch out forever. He stood up and put his arms out in front of him. Ed walked forwards slowly, trying to see if there was a wall or at least something solid to hold onto. Who ever the person was, they were right. He needed to get out of here.

"Do you know how to get out of here?" Ed asked the voice.

He received no answer from the voice. This unnerved Ed a little. Had something happened? Ed kept side stepping to his right. His automail hit something and a soft _clang_ resounded throughout the gateway. Ed's left arm shot from his side and felt along the structure he had bumped into.

0000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000

"Alright. That seems fair. We will have the first funeral infront of Central, for all of Edward's friends here." Roy told Pinako.

"Yes, and then we go back to Resembool for the family one." Pinako agreed with him.

"Will you and Ms. Rockbell be attending the one here?" Meas asked. The three adults were huddled in the middle of the room, talking about Ed's two funerals. The were trying to be quiet, so they didn't upset Al or Winry. Who were huddled together in the corner farthest away fromthe adults, while they stared blankly at the wall.

Pinako turned slightly and looked at Winry's emotionless face. "No, I don't think the poor girl can stand being in the same room as Edward now. She loved him, you know."

Meas nodded his head and sighed. "Yeah, and he was way too dense to notice. Do you think she will move on?"

"I don't know, that's completely up to her. But if I had to guess, I think she will. It's gonna take a long time, but maybe with Al here, she can do it."

Roy let the other two adults talk about Winry's love life and went to go sit down by Lieutenant Hawkeye. She mumbled a greeting, ending it with sir, Roy could only guess how she felt about this. The woman always kept her emotions bottled up inside of her.

"How are you dealing with this Lieutenant?" He asked slowly.

Riza sighed pushed her bangs away from her face. "I'm fine sir."

Roy gave her a skeptical look and crossed his arms in a child like manner. "No your not. Tell me how you are feeling about this."

Riza gave up her facade. "To be honest, sir, I really don't know. It's hard to believe that Edward is really dead. Just a week ago, he was running around, being loud and brash as always. Now, the office is way too quiet, it makes everything feel so morbid."

Roy could only nod. He knew how she felt. Even though he would never admit it, Roy wouldn't mind being called a bastard for the rest of his life, if it meant that Ed would still be there. He wouldn't mindit at all. It was like a _thing _they had, it was his and Ed's _thing. _Edward would burst into his office, he would crack a joke or two on the young alchemist's height, and Ed would call him a bastard for the rest of the day.

"I just wish there was a different reason he died. It was a stupid grudge, he wasn't even old enough to know what the word war meant. Why did he have to die over such a stupid thing?"

Even though it was a retorical question, Roy still answered her. "It was because I sent him out there. It's my fault."

Riza looked up at her superior officer and frowned deeply. Had he always felt this way? Roy was looking at the opposite wall with a look of dread on his features. "It wasn't your fault. You didn't give the orders to post him out there, ho could you havve known that something like that was going to happen?"

"I should have known. Good never comes out of messing with an Ishvalan camp. I could have stopped it. He was only a liitle kid, he didn't deserve to die because of something that ridiculous."

Riza could only offer what little comfort she had. "You know, Edward would have gotten mad at you for calling him little and a kid."

"Yeah, he would have."


	5. Figured It Out

**Ok everybody, here's another chapter. But before you read it, read this. IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT!**

**On Dec. 14, 2012 there was a mass murder at an elementary school in Connecticut. 20 students and 6 teachers were killed by a single man. I know that this is nothing, but this chapter is dedicated to the lives lost in the murder. I can still hardly believe that something so horrifying could happen in an **_**elementary **_**school! They were just children, did they really have to die? The man, identified as Adam Lanza was not only a murderer, he was a **_**coward**_**. First he killed innocent little children, some were only **_**five years old**_**, he also killed his mother and teachers that did nothing to him. And then he killed himself. He took the easy way out. He is a coward, he took lives, ruined families, and took away the feeling of safety for every single person in that town. In my opinion, he should be rotting in jail for the rest of his life thinking about the montosity that he created.**

**Anyways, on with the chapter and I hope that somehow, some way, the little town in Connecticut can find a way to restore their disturbed minds, and may the ones that have died rest in peace.**

He was going to get out. He was still alive, because how can you be dead when your pacing back and forth infront of some kind of large stone. He was in the gateway. Time doesn't tick in the gateway, so he was safe for a while. What really bothered Ed now was the voice, the frown on Truth's face, and the fact that the Truth had said something about going to the other side. The other side of what? The gate?

If that was so, then why wasn't he already there? Or maybe he was and he just didn't know it. The darkness bothered him the most. Anything could happen in the dark, he wasn't to happy about the idea. He hadn't even seen the truth, knowledge hadn't flooded into his brain, making it feel like it's going to explode. Ed was happy that didn't happen, but it also set him on edge.

Ed sat down on the floor, mulling over what he had heard.

Everyone thought he was dead. _fact_

He was in the gateway. _fact_

Pinako was planning a funeral for him soon. _fact_

Everyone was sad over him. _fact_

The bastard was still a bastard and thought he killed Ed. _defiant fact_

Al was devastated and all alone in a big world, left to cope with having to be stuck in a suit of armor, all because his older brother was a selfish asshole that got himself killed. _sadly, a fact_

Winry...er..was...um...sad. _fact?_

She l..l-loved him? _ummm..._

Nobody actually knew where he was. _fact_

The Truth had frowned at him as he was pulled into the gateway. _fact_

There was a voice that was haunting him and telling him to get out of the gateway, but he couldn't because he can't find a way out of it. _fact_

And that was about it. He had no resources, no light as to see what the structure behind him was. Edward had already found out the basics, it was made of stone, probably tall for it's echo was long, and when he punched it, it didn't vibrate like metal would. He had already tried alchemy, but that wasn't working. What was the point of being the youngest state alchemist in the country if he was going to spend the rest of his life in the gateway?

Ed Laid his head back onto the structure, only to withdraw it with a muffled "ow". He turned around and felt along the structure of stone. Now this, this was something he had missed.

* * *

"Do you want to go?" Pinako asked quietly.

"No." Was the only answer she got from her granddaughter.

Pinako gave a sad sigh and sat down at the foot of Winry's bed. The girl was laying on her stomach, face buried in her pillow with the blankets drowning her, and trapping her in a warm cacoon. If anyone else was here, they would think the girl merely to be sleeping. But Pinako knew that Winry hadn't slept for at least three days, no one had. She knew Winry would never be the same firery automail lover again, that fact was undeniable. Pinako knew Winry like the back of her hand, she had to, it was her job.

"You know, just because he's gone, doesn't mean that he's not hear." She told Winry.

Winry lifted her head a couple of inches to look at her grandmother through her swollen eyes. "What do you mean by that?" She questioned. She clenched and unclenched her fists several times before she raised her voice. Because she hadn't used in for many days, Winry's voice came out hoarse. "He's gone Granny! no, he's not just gone, he's _dead_! How could he be here when he went and died like some idiot? He left Al all alone! How could he have done that? Ed made a promise that he would give Al his body back!"

Winry dropped her head back onto the pillow as a fresh round of tears forced their way out of her eyes. A choked sob escaped her throat and Pinako gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I know. That shrimp is an idiot. He may be dead, honey, but he is still living in our hearts. Remember, you guys always used to go down by the stream, and the two of you would come back bickering about some silly water game that Ed apparently cheated at?"

Winry secretly smiled, but ever so slightly. She nodded her head into the pillow. Granny was right. She needed to man up and be the stronger one here. Without Ed, she would have to be strong for Al's sake, and her own. If her grandmother could do it, so could she. They were Rockbells after all.

* * *

"More paper work, sir."

"About Fullmetal?"

Riza nodded her head at her superior. For the last day, all they had been getting was documents about Edward. It was disturbing, to say the least.

"Just set it on the desk." Came Roy's gruff reply.

Riza noted how his voice broke at the end of his sentance, and how unkept his usually some what nice uniform looked. But she said no of this, not wanting to upset him anymore. That would be bad for everyone. She quietly slipped out of his office, only to be met with the gaze of her subordinates.

"How's he handling the work?" Havoc asked from his chair.

Riza shook her head. "At first glance, he seems fine. But after you go in there a couple of times, you notice certain things that should not be there."

"Like what?" Breda inquired.

"His voice is gruff and scratchy, and it sometimes breaks at the end of his sentences. His uniform jacket is unbuttoned, his desk is an utter disaster, and he's not even trying to hide the fact that he's shoving paper work inside his desk. To top it all off, you can smell the faintest trace of scotch."

"That far gone?" Fuery wondered out loud from his spot at by his radio.

Riza nodded again and went to sit down. The Colonel was having trouble coping with it. She wasn't sure if he felt guilty about sending a kid onto the battle field, or if he really cared for Edward in a way that you would describe as parental. He had looked after Ed ever since he joined the military.

A door slamming interrupted Riza's train of thought and she looked up in time to see Roy disappear behind another door that led out into the hallway. She wondered where on earth he could be going. She got up and followed him, to make sure he didn't try to hurt himself.

She followed her commanding officer to the very back of the west wing. They had been given a spare office here in Central until Ed's funeral was over, then they would go back to Eastern Command. Careful to stay in the alchemist's blind spot, Riza swiftly followed him to an old storage unit. Roy slipped in, and shut the door tightly behind him.

Riza had two options, she could go in, but then her superior would know that she had followed him. Or she could go back to the office and wait for him there, and he wouldn't have known she followed him. She sighed and gripped the door knob and slowly turned it.

She wished she hadn't.

* * *

This was defiantly different. Edward felt along the structure made of stone. Except he now knew that the structure was actually a door. A very large and farmiliar door. One that he had seen twice in his life now.

When he had sat down, he hit his head against the crack in the middle of the door, where it opens. He fingered around the door and found that there were complicated designs running up and down the door. It was the gateway,and it was his ticket out of here.

Now he just had to figure out how to open it.

**Oh no! What did Hawkeye find when she opened the door? How is Edward going to open the gateway? So many questions with answers in the next chapter, so hang in there!**


End file.
